1. Scope of Invention
This invention relates generally to vehicle sun visors, and more particularly to an economically manufactured and easily deployable sun visor extension which also accommodates vanity mirror usage.
2. Prior Art
Conventional vehicle sun visors are rarely sufficient for fully effective use. The following U.S. Patents are known to applicant which disclose some form of an extension for or an enhancement of a vehicle sun visor:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,118,198 to Hathaway
U.S. Pat. No. 2,382,875 to Handley
U.S. Pat. No. 2,629,626 to Ziler
U.S. Pat. No. 2,833,591 to Kurtzke
U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,792 to Martin
U.S. Pat. No. 2,842,395 to Davis
U.S. Pat. No. 3,480,322 to Pollak
U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,088 to Graham
U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,554 to Barbee
U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,979 to Harvey
U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,628 to Polito
The glare shield taught by Hathaway in the '198 patent is directed to a panel which is pivotally connected to the distal edge of the visor and having an elongated narrow aperture or slot formed therethrough to reduce glare.
In the '875 patent to Handley, the antiglare device disclosed there includes an anti-glare semitransparent panel attached and laterally extending from one side margin of a sleeve which closely slidably engages over the sun visor. The sleeve provides large opaque areas for advertisement, car information, a calendar and other viewable indicia printed thereon.
Ziler in '626 patent teaches a sun-stop visor attachment which spans between spaced apart sun visors of a vehicle. An auxiliary sun visor is taught in the '591 patent invented by Kurtzke which discloses a diffusing transparent panel which is slidably positionable on elastic straps wrapped around the sun visor itself.
A sun visor attachment invented by Martin as disclosed in the '792 patent provides a clip fastening member for attachment to the upper or pivotal side margin of a sun visor and a slidably engagable tongue-and-groove arrangement to facilitate lowered positioning of a transparent or opaque plastic material as described. Davis also discloses a sun visor extension in the '395 patent showing a pivotal connection between one of its panels attached against the sun visor and the other which, in the lowered position, effectively extends the visor lower margin for eye protection.
Yet another sun visor extension invented by Pollak in the '322 patent teaches a uniquely foldable slip-over visor extension formed as a sleeve of either opaque or transparent material with cut-offs in the upper margin facilitating the sleeve slipping over a sun visor. In U.S. '088, Graham teaches yet another sun visor extender in the form of a sleeve which encompasses the sun visor and can be moved downwardly and sidewards thereon to cover additional areas not normally covered by the sun visor.
Still another vehicle sun visor attachment is shown in the '554 patent by Barbee teaching a lens removably mounted on clamps that secure the lens on the visor. The auxiliary sun visor of Harvey, in '979 patent, includes a light shield which is selectively positionable in such a way as to cover the most objectionable light source within the user's field of vision while maintaining unaltered vision in the areas adjacent to that light source.
Lastly, Polito, in U.S. '628 discloses yet another sun visor extension slidably attachable to the sun visor and being capable of both longitudinal and transverse adjustment on the sun visor via mating slotted and tabbed two part panel structure.
The present invention teaches an economically manufactured sun visor extension in the form of a sleeve which is no longer than the length of the sun visor and having a width substantially larger than that of the sun visor for downward extension of the distal margin of the sun visor. The present invention also includes one VELCRO attached side margin to facilitate deployment over the sun visor and further includes an aperture formed centrally through one of the two panels of the sleeve which facilitates ready unobstructed access to a vanity mirror with a pivotal closure panel, now a very popular vehicle feature.